Xon
Xon '''is a retired Starfleet officer, scientist and part-time smuggler, assigned to Outpost Eden as a scientific researcher. Statistics Appearance * '''Height: 1.78 meters * Weight: 58 kilos (130lbs) * Hair Color: Grey, formerly black * Eye Color: Blue/grey with central heterochromia, creating a gold halo around the pupil * Skin Tone: White, with a green tinge due to copper-based blood * Taste in Clothing: Xon usually wears waistcoats and turtlenecks in cuts that are similar to old Starfleet uniform patterns, complemented by old coats and jackets. His favourite garment is a 2282 Starfleet issue temperature-controlled field excursion parka in classic 'monster maroon' red, with the original USS Intrepid ''mission patch. * '''Voice': Xon has a nasal voice and a cut-glass accent, usually employed to make sarcastic remarks about his colleagues * Handedness: Right * Distinguishing marks: '''Ankle-tattoo from imprisonment in Rura Penthe in 2285, scarring on torso from disruptor blast sustained in 2269, scars on both arms and legs from ritual combat with his ex-wife in 2301 Family * '''Marital Status: Divorced ** Former Spouse (Deceased) '''Lucy S'Rellian - a half-human, half-Vulcan cadet whom Xon instructed aboard the ''USS Intrepid, ''and later married through a ritual Vulcan bonding ceremony. Xon and Lucy separated in 2305 due to Lucy's mental health issues. * '''Children: ** Xonian S'Rellian, an officer at Starfleet Research & Development. Xon and his son have not spoken in several decades. * Parents: ** Father (Deceased): '''Garus t'Mehrian, a Romulan warbird commander who was executed by the Tal Shiar in 2244 ** '''Mother (Deceased): T'Par, an officer of the Vulcan Security Directorate who died on the failed Romulan colony world of Thieurrull in 2397 Personal history Xon is a half-Vulcan, half-Romulan scientist who served in Starfleet during the late 23rd century, most notably as Science Officer, and eventually Commanding Officer, of the Constitution-class starship USS Intrepid. Xon retired from Starfleet with the rank of Captain over ninety years ago, but the establishment of Outpost Eden has coaxed him back into service as a civilian science specialist. Childhood Xon was born on Romulus in the year 2236. His father was a warbird commander in the Romulan fleet and his mother was an operative sent across the neutral zone by the Vulcan Security Directorate. As a young child, Xon was taught by private tutors, ignoring his mother's lessons in logic, and not knowing that his parents were conspiring to commit high treason. After a failed attempt to destabilise the Romulan government, Xon's parents fled to Thieurrull, known as 'Hellguard' in Federation Standard: a failed colony world inside the Neutral Zone which was a hub of piracy and political exiles for most of the 23rd century. Xon spent the next few years wrestling in the gutter with other impoverished Romulan children until the Tal Shiar finally tracked down his father and had him assassinated. Xon's mother arranged to have her son sent back to Vulcan, to be raised in the Han-shir monastery by monks who were unaware of Xon's Romulan heritage. The young Xon did not take well to Vulcan discipline. Even after he stopped biting the monks and trying to escape into the desert, he responded poorly to any attempts to suppress his emotions. As a teenager, Xon developed a superiority complex and an ego the size of a small moon, but he also demonstrated a considerable aptitude - and enthusiasm - for science and mathematics. The monks knew that there was no chance of such an undisciplined, prideful student being accepted into the Vulcan Science Academy, so they advised Xon to apply for Starfleet Academy. He took their advice, hoping that it would give him opportunities to observe interesting phenomena, write award-winning research papers, and dissect strange alien lifeforms. Starfleet Academy Xon performed poorly in all areas of his studies except for astrophysics, stellar mechanics and comparative exobiology. He failed his basic aptitude tests in command and combat training - barring him from active fleet service - but he was accepted as a graduate student, with a fellowship at Starfleet Research & Development. His psychological profiles during this period noted his scientific detachment, lack of empathy, irritability, dislike of authority, and difficulty forming friendships. He was reprimanded several times for drinking Romulan Ale, illegally imported from across the Neutral Zone. His contacts in the smuggling business would remain contacts for life, much to his later detriment. USS Intrepid In 2265, Xon was helping to install the new sensor suite onboard the USS Intrepid when the ship was dispatched to answer a distress call. Lacking a science officer, Captain Jacob Rolands gave Xon a field promotion to lieutenant and ordered him to man the bridge science station. During the mission, Xon's egocentric behaviour managed to irritate the entire bridge crew except for Captain Rolands, who found Xon amusing, and submitted a request for the odd Vulcan to be assigned to the Intrepid on a permanent basis. Starfleet Research & Development were happy to be rid of him, and Xon was happy to get the opportunity to travel the galaxy and catalogue alien lifeforms as a frontier scientist. Finding that he enjoyed working on a starship, Xon served on the Intrepid for two years as the Ship's Xenobiologist, followed by two consecutive five-year missions of exploration as Chief Science Officer, under Captain Jacob Rolands and Captain Thora Westermarck. Detailed information on Xon's activities during this period can be located in the Intrepid's original mission logs. Xon was involved in first contact with several new civilisations, the classification of over 100 species of flora and fauna, and the discovery of several exotic astroparticles previously unknown to science - as well as numerous intergalactic incidents, and over thirty violations of the Prime Directive. Xon's first decade of service among humans mellowed him out slightly, but did nothing to burn away his planet-sized ego. He became less petulant than he had been in his early career, and succeeded in making several genuine friends, particularly Doctor Christopher Grant, the Chief Medical Officer of the Intrepid. '' '''Late Career' When the Intrepid ''completed it's original five-year missions, Xon spent five years teaching astrophysics at Starfleet Academy, whilst also conducting research missions for Starfleet Applied Science. The ageing ''Intrepid was eventually relegated to run training missions around the home systems of the Federation. Wanting his old ship to be commanded by somebody he could trust, Admiral Rolands appointed Xon as Commanding Officer, supervising the training of the cadet crew. Admiral Rolands often sent the Intrepid ''on special missions, using the cover of cadet training operations to gather intelligence on threats such as the Klingon Empire and the Breen Confederacy, and Xon gained enough experience to be promoted to the rank of captain, despite his eccentric command style. Xon retained his clinical view of the world, his scientific detachment, and his narcissism, but became slightly better at maintaining friendly personal relationships, and grew fiercely protective of his cadets. Other cadet ships were run with stern military discipline, but Xon had a more compassionate approach, tolerating the failures of his trainees and taking pity on the misfits and oddballs. As such, the ''Intrepid ''gained an unfortunate reputation around the fleet as a refuse dump for problematic cadets. Starfleet began to send Xon all of the cadets that scored below ten points on their aptitude tests. Many of Xon's cadets should have been discharged from the fleet, but he was always reluctant to give up on them. Xon eventually commanded the ''Intrepid ''on a final five-year mission of exploration between 2295 and 2300. '''Private Explorer' The Intrepid ''was finally decommissioned in 2302, making it one of the last three ''Constitution ''class ships in active service. The crew retired or moved onto other assignments. Xon felt as though he was being pushed off a cliff. He was appalled by the idea of a desk job at Starfleet Command, or another teaching position at the academy. The ''Intrepid ''had been his home for almost forty years, and the idea of change seemed unthinkable. Fortunately, an opportunity presented itself. Rather than mothballing the ''Intrepid ''or sending her to the breaker’s yard, Starfleet decided to give the ship away in an auction. Several planetary defence forces, royal starfleets, museums and private collectors made very good cases for why they ought to inherit ownership of the ''Intrepid, ''but Xon somehow managed to make a case which convinced the board. The ''Intrepid ''was passed into his hands as a private survey vessel, and he retired from Starfleet. Many members of the ship's old crew returned as civilians, and the ''Intrepid ''operated for over a decade in it's new role, contracted by the Federation Science Council for deep-space exploration missions in the uncharted regions of the Alpha Quadrant. Nothing could have made Xon happier. '''Scientist and Smuggler ' Unfortunately, this wasn’t to last. Xon started to mix with questionable company. The ageing Intrepid ''required constant maintenance, and repair crews at licensed Federation spacedock facilities no longer had the components, the expertise, or the patience to refit a seventy-year-old ship. The ''Intrepid ''started to visit more and more backwater spaceports in the hinterlands of the Federation. Xon already had friends in the smuggling business from his days at the academy, and they introduced him to their own friends in the Orion Syndicate. It wasn’t long before the ''Intrepid ''was augmenting its survey missions by carrying contraband around the Federation. Enjoying this piratical lifestyle, Xon started to gamble whenever the ship was in port, and his original scientific vision for the ''Intrepid ''began to take a back seat. This sort of behaviour eventually drove away most of Xon’s original crew, including the ship’s surgeon, one of his oldest friends. Eventually, the fatal day came. Xon was playing a high-stakes game of fizzbin on Helaspont Station, whilst under the influence of Saurian brandy. He had a winning hand, but was out of credit, so he decided to throw his ship into the bet. His friends warned him against it, but he didn’t listen, and was devastated when his opponent, an Orion mob boss, beat Xon with an extremely rare hand. Xon went back to the Intrepid ‘to inform his crew of the bad news’, but actually jumped port and tried to make a run for it, only to be chased down by the Orions and forced to surrender his ship. After he watched the Orions warp away with the ''Intrepid ''in tow, Xon spent several weeks racking up a tab in the bar on Helaspont Station, not sure what to do with himself. Then he swore never to drink again until he'd reclaimed the ''Intrepid, got a shuttle back to Earth, and disappeared. Wilderness years Xon made several attempts to reclaim the Intrepid, ''but eventually lost track and gave up the search. He wandered listlessly for several years, down and out, and eventually washed up at the doors of the Vulcan monastery where he had spent his childhood. He was permitted back into the community and became a monk, trying to embrace Vulcan logic. He spent twelve years of his life living stoically and completing various rites of passage, but when he took his final test the High Priestess informed his that his Romulan blood would stop him from ever achieving true enlightenment. He left Vulcan and spent some time as a wandering pilgrim, visiting shrines and sites of spiritual importance throughout the quadrant. But in 2340, he inherited a ship from one of his smuggler friends: an antiquated freighter named the ''Ruby Sunbird. The ship's previous owner had used it for smuggling Romulan ale across the Neutral Zone, and Xon - with nothing to lose - decided to use it for the same purpose. He spent the next few decades making enemies and allies on the lawless worlds inside the Neutral Zone, becoming quite adept at getting across the zone without being detected by the Federation or Romulan authorities. By the time of the Dominion War he'd established a coded subspace frequency that anyone on either side of the zone could contact if they wanted something - or someone - moved discretely from one side to the other. Xon was frustrated when Romulus – his birthplace –was destroyed in the Hobus star explosion. He had hoped for most of his life that he might be able to return to Romulus and walk the streets of Ki Bataran where he’d spent his childhood. Given his age, his lengthy retirement, and his criminal record, Xon was very surprised when Starfleet drafted him for a specialist position at Outpost Eden, citing a compulsory reactivation clause in his old Starfleet contract. He had always disliked the Romulan Empire, but his knowledge of different Romulan dialects made him a valuable asset, as did his connections in the underworld on both sides of the former Neutral Zone. He was tempted to remain in retirement, but as a scientist, he couldn't pass up the opportunity to answer the fascinating scientific conundrums that Eden posed. Personal relationships Former Spouse - Lucy S'Rellian Whilst he was serving as First Officer of the ''Intrepid, ''Xon instructed a young half-human, half-Vulcan cadet named Lucy S'Rellian, who became infatuated with Xon. Lucy made her affections very clear and pursued Xon relentlessly, even threatening to starve herself and throw herself out of an airlock if Xon didn't reciprocate. Xon had never been particularly interested in romantic affection, and his lack of emotional maturity led him to deal with the situation very poorly. He eventually succumbed and agreed to bond with Lucy, hoping that it would allow her to focus on her studies and fulfil her potential as a Starfleet officer. This proved to be a poor decision. Lucy's mental health did not improve, and after she failed to graduate for the fourth time, Xon reluctantly recommended that she should be discharged from the fleet. In retribution, Lucy attacked Xon with a lirpa - intending to kill him - and after she was disarmed, she was reassigned to a Starfleet correctional facility. Upon her release, Lucy refused to release Xon from their marital bond, and he had to fight her to the death in a ritual ceremony atop Mount Selaya in Vulcan's Forge. Xon triumphed, but spared her life. He has always regretted his handling of the whole affair. Service history Achievements